Daughter of the Empire: A Rise To Power

[Miranda Tarkin]

Imperial Assembly Hall: Coruscant

Every Moff from the Inner Core to the furthest reaches of the Outer Rim were in attendance today, ether personally or by holo-feed. Chancellor Tiberius Anar had insisted that every Governor be present and accounted for. He emphasized that the meeting was of grave importance and it would impact the future of their great Empire. But the details of what the issue on the floor had been kept, and remained, vague.

"It would have been nice to at least have some warning as to what this was about," said a grumpy Moff Sekirol of the Barida sector from his white hoverdisc. He was still adjusting to Coruscanti time and waking up this morning was a bear. "Instead we wait."

"I'm sure the Chancellor has his reasons," replied Tearaden, Moff of the Fondor sector. Who couldn't help but smirk knowingly to himself. "We are in a state of civil unrest still since the Emperor's passing, and the Rebels are still being bold. We haven't made much headway in curtailing their terrorist acts."

"Pfah!" said the Moff from Teyr, waving away that notion as if a silly child had been talking. "The Rebels have done nothing substantial yet. Mostly small campaigns that have various degrees of success. Nothing as bold as Doldur, mind you. They haven't the gall to try something like that again."

"Speaking of which, where the devil is Tarkin?" asked Sekirol, looking toward the quite empty hoverdisc of the Doldur Sector. He hid just how wonderful it was to have the Moff absent. Since the first day that Miranda Tarkin was appointed Moff of the Doldur sector, he made his concerns for her inability and lack of experience known to Chancellor Anar and the Central Committee. She was merely a citizen with a penchant for public speaking! The title of Moff required more then pretty words to placate the people! It required military knowledge and careful strategy! His pleas fell on deaf ears and soon his concerns were silenced by Tarkin's brave defense of Doldur against the Rebellion's attack. Her popularity soared and she even swayed favor from some of the Moffs that hadn't formed an opinion about her.

Tearaden finally allow a smile to come. "I'm not sure." A lie. He and some of the other Moffs were privy to the true nature of this meeting. "But she isn't one to be absent for pressing matters of the Empire."

"Hrmph." But Sekirol's words fell short as the main lower chambers to the grand dais opened. "Then again, the Chancellor has arrived," he grinned victoriously.

Tearaden's grin grew toothy and amused. The poor Moffs that thought as Sekirol were in quite for the rude awakening as Miranda Tarkin stepped forward into the chambers initially and not Anar as expected.

Sekirol took in a surprised sharp breath, which was echoed by some of the other Moffs present. Miranda had arrived not in the usual standard grey uniform of a Moff, but in a white dress that was covered in royal blue robes made of the finest Corellian silks. Her dress tugged on lost memories of a time when Emperor Palpatine was horribly scarred by the Jedi and forced to lead the Old Republic into a new era. The matching sash proudly displayed the Imperial Crest and of her own noble family, the House of Tarkin; a fire wheel hugged by an inverted omega symbol with a sword buried in the center of black on a red background.

What caused the assembly to hush from their murmurings were the Inquisitors, thirteen in number. They wore finely polished ceremonial, or power armor depending on their place in their order, and flanked Tarkin on either side as she marched majestically on to the dais.

A matter of great importance indeed! To see one Inquisitor was bad luck. To see more then three was a rarity that signaled certain death! A sight no one wanted to live to see! But thirteen! A jinx of a number that spelled certain doom, did it not, thought Moff Sekirol.

Chancellor Tiberius Anar, Sorsha Kasajian and Karl Valten joined Tarkin on the dais, along with two Inquisitors as guards. The other visible ten, spread out in formation and stood like marble statues, unmoving and practically unblinking as they reached out with the Force to prepare themselves mentally for the dissension that was assuredly to occur.

Slowly the dais floated away from the connecting frame and drifted upwards to take center stage amongst all of her fellow Moffs. A hand to both sides of the podium, Tarkin allowed her head to survey the dome from left to right. Still, no one spoke, no one breathed. All were hanging on the edge of oblivion and were waiting to drop into the blackness of the unknown.

She could feel their fear! She could feel their pride! But everyone was apprehensive of what was to come. It was time to reveal the truth of what is to be.

"Moffs of our glorious Empire. I apologize for the duplicity of this meeting, in which Chancellor Anar arranged on my behalf. But if I had asked, as I have done in the past, to call a meeting to discuss the state of our galaxy ... " her eyes narrowed with daggers, "... you would have done a discourtesy to not just myself, but to our government, which would have felt the sting of your absence more then I.

There is too must unrest in allowing our differences to derail all that Emperor Palpatine has worked for in bringing order to this unruly galaxy! Should he have died for nothing? Hmm?" The silence was deafening. "I think not. And I know none of you do either. Yet, in his absence, some have fell victim to greed and corruption, tainting the very foundations of our government, which if they are left to continue, will destroy our departed Emperor's work. We would have no one to blame but ourselves if we fail and allow the terrorists to win!

And we are doing that as we speak," she continued, darkly. "Please do no fool yourselves into complacency that the Rebellion is a small snake in the grass that nips at our feet. We all know how far their influence has spread, and how quickly they can regroup and maintain resources. It's only a matter of time before they rally against us and we have another situation like Yavin. Endor. Or Doldur." Though each battle held a personal loss for her, the Empire had also lost a lot of men, resources, and personal favored opinion because of them.

"We have been lucky in battle, able to lick our wounds, and in some cases be victorious, and rise from this adversity. But now, the stakes have grown all the much higher for all of us." She paused for effect and could tell that they were all hanging on her every word. "The Jedi," she said gravely, "have returned ..."

The dome exploded in gasps, disbelief and outright denial. She held up a hand an patted away at the air in an attempt to quiet the room. "It is difficult to say this, given the extensive campaign that our beloved Emperor and Lord Vader had overseen, and with the confirmed death of the traitor Skywalker at Endor, but it is true. Chancellor Anar and I have both been attacked by Force users that had eluded capture. And with confirmed reports that the Jedi are joining alongside the Rebellion, can you all continue to live in constant refutal that the Rebels pose no threat?"

Quiet discussions fettered through the dome as the Moffs debated the truth of her words. Miranda allowed it for it offered a dramatic effect to the significance of her words. "I think not!" her voiced boomed over those massed. "We are falling on dark times again my friends. We must unite once again and show strength. Prove to the Rebellion that we aren't petty squabblers that are directionless and leaderless. The time has come to rally under one banner and remove the corruption that causes external and internal harm to the Empire. Guide our lost citizens into hope and security. To usher in a new era of order and prosperity in which we can leave a legacy for the generations to come."

Tarkin settled the palms of her hands against the podium and took in a humbled breath. "Which is why under the provisional rule of Chancellor Anar, the sponsorship of the Inquisitors, under the auspices of the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, and the aegis of the Grand Admirals; I, Miranda Tarkin, have been petitioned to lay claim to the vacant throne that Emperor Palpatine left due to his untimely death."

Moffs that had been outspoken against her stood up in protest, but Tarkin's voice rose loudly over theirs to squash them. "And I will respectfully accept this great honor bestowed upon me before all of our people in one standard hours time."

Now those that were willing to stand at her side, stood up in applause, attempting to drown out the fervent protests from the others, who managed to find their voices from the stunning announcement.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! YOU'VE DOOMED THE ENTIRE EMPIRE TARKIN!!!" cried Moff Sekirol, managing to remove his bloated figure from his chair to stand in grievance with the other dissenting Moffs.

Tearaden clapped with a renewed sense of dignity. Even with the outcries, the Moff felt a shift of unification that had been lacking. Today, history was being made and even with the shortsighted, bigotry, of some made the old General simply feel pity for them. Tarkin had much word ahead of her, but she had proven to him, as well as the majority of the Moffs, that she could lead this rabble of a government into something worth fighting for again ...

[Sorsha Kasajian]

:: Sorsha stood by her Lover's side, now a full-fledged member of the Hand. She had elected OW to oversee things within the Nebula during her absence. Her focus now was Miranda's acsension, and she studied the faces of the Moffs intently ::

[Rossos Atrapes]

As he over looked the grand room that was once the seat of the Galactic Senate, Inquisitor Atrapes idly stretched out with the Force, and allowed it to blanket around the dais to allow for a warning should things get out of hand. The truth be told, but he would have rather had the distinction of being one of the faceless ten, despite his temporary position of rank within the Inquisitoriate.

Here on the dais, his face would be known, as the speech and announcement would undoubtedly be shown on the holo-channels. But recently, since he'd learned of the Inquisitoriate backing Moff Tarkin for the throne, he'd been having thoughts of the Inquisitoriate as a whole and its place in the new order.

Emperor Palpatine had most ingeniously shifted the foundation of the government's power from the authority of the Jedi to that of the Grand Army of the Republic, later to become the Imperial Army and Navy. But that hadn't been enough, apparently. The Rebellion, though it had taken over twenty years to do so, had destroyed the ultimate symbol of Palpatine's power: the Death Star, not once, but twice, and finally destroying the Emperor and Lord Vader, as well as the major leaders of the rebellion in the shock-wave that followed.

But the Empire, though being conceived by the will and design of one man, had survived his death, albeit barely. Once again, history was spiralling. And the Inquisitoriate was being positioned as one of the foundations of the power of the new Empress. In order to make use of its power, the Inquisitoriate would have to change.

..."And I will respectfully accept this great honor bestowed upon me before all of our people in one standard hours time."

Rossos snapped his mind back to the present; the outcry and applause came as predicted. As one moff loudly decried the Empress (or she who would be Empress in one standard hour's time), Rossos allowed his eyes to focus on him and gather up details on his face; and already two Inquisitors had followed his Force Suggestion to go nearer to the Moffs and be prepared to cut them down if necessary. The Inquisitoriate could not allow the situation to devolve into a chain of coups and rival candidates presenting a target to the Rebellion.

It was still good to hear the applause was louder than the outcry, however.

[Elias Akasha]

From his vantage point, Elias regarded the entire scene with blanket suspicion.

Though many members of the Imperial military were inherantly suspicious of the mysterious Inquisitors and their mystical powers, he had seen their capabilities first-hand and had no doubts that they would be able to keep the Moff - Empress - safe, if that was their wish. Instead, his suspicions were focussed on the gathered Governors who, while not necessarily capable of wielding the Force, were capable of wielding a political power that was - arguably - even more dangerous.

Security on Coruscant was always tight, but this occasion in particular called for something extra. While many of the Moffs were not present in person, those that were had come with aides: quite an entorage, in some cases. Ordinarily, Elias would have trusted the guardians selected by the Imperial Security Bureau implicitly, but recent events had shown him that even their loyalty required intense scrutany.

Of even greater concern were the guards that the Moffs had selected for themselves. No one would recieve such an intimate appointment without earning the Governors trust, and that in itself made them inherantly untrustworthy. No self-respecting politician would do anything for themselves when they had loyal minions to do their bidding.

Akasha's attention was elsewhere as Miranda Tarkin spoke. Her words were no doubt elloquent and moving, but even if they hadn't they were guarenteed to be played back across the holonet for days, weeks, even years to come. That thought dragged his eyes towards the automated holoprojectors that he had insisted upon. The Empire would record Tarkin's speech, and distribute a copy to the news networks. The smaller the media's involvement in all this, the better: no trust would be wasted on those who made a living of twisting the truth for their own ends.

Twisting the truth. Wasn't that what these Governors and politicians did every day of their lives? Though he hadn't heard Tarkin's words, he couldn't help but hear the reaction: eyes scanning the crowd below. Their reactions gave more away than they realised. There were those that decried her, and while their opposition gave them the potential to be dangerous as time wore on, they were at least they were honest in their opposition. The liars were elsewhere, greeting the news with their false smiles and polite applause.

Elias tapped in a few names into the datapad in his palm: individuals who might warrant further observation in the future. Even as he sketched down the words however, he couldn't fight a smile from his lips. At last things were repaired, and they were an Empire once more; and who better than a Tarkin to beat down the rebellion, and restore the galaxy to the way it should be once again?

[Karl Valten]

"Moffs of our glorious Empire. I apologize for the duplicity of this meeting, in which Chancellor Anar arranged on my behalf. But if I had asked, as I have done in the past, to call a meeting to discuss the state of our galaxy …you would have done a discourtesy to not just myself, but to our government, which would have felt the sting of your absence more then I.”

Ah ha, this was neither an art form that the Grand Inquisitor could never hope to master…nor one he truly cared to even consider. Still he was one who could appreciate the craft; subtle manipulation from the shadows only worked so far. “Face of the Empire” indeed, they way she held the entire council in rapture Empress-to-be

There is too must unrest in allowing our differences to derail all that Emperor Palpatine has worked for in bringing order to this unruly galaxy! Should he have died for nothing? Hmm? I think not. And I know none of you do either. Yet, in his absence, some have fell victim to greed and corruption, tainting the very foundations of our government, which if they are left to continue, will destroy our departed Emperor's work. We would have no one to blame but ourselves if we fail and allow the terrorists to win!

From his position he swept his eyes over the hypnotized congregation. Like stalwart sentinels, cold and unforgiving, he and the other Inquisitors seemed to tower over.

In the years since the Emperor’s death, it was THEY who safe guarded the stability of the Empire.

“And we are doing that as we speak"

It was THEY who kept the blasphemy of treason from the heart of the Imperium; who, from the darkness, purged those who would turn from the light of order.

"Please do not fool yourselves into complacency that the Rebellion is a small snake in the grass that nips at our feet. We all know how far their influence has spread, and how quickly they can regroup and maintain resources. It's only a matter of time before they rally against us and we have another situation like Yavin. Endor. Or Doldur."

It was THEY who prevented the heresy of Rebellion from gorging on the vacuum left in the galaxy in the absence of such a power as Palpatine.

"We have been lucky in battle, able to lick our wounds, and in some cases be victorious, and rise from this adversity. But now, the stakes have grown all the much higher for all of us." She paused for effect and could tell that they were all hanging on her every word. ….The Jedi…have returned ..."

It was THEY who kept the corruption of the force at bay and prevented the tide of the Sith and the Jedi from rising in the wake of the Emperor’s passing.

" And with confirmed reports that the Jedi are joining alongside the Rebellion, can you all continue to live in constant refutal that the Rebels pose no threat? We are falling on dark times again my friends. We must unite once again and show strength. Prove to the Rebellion that we aren't petty squabblers that are directionless and leaderless. The time has come to rally under one banner and remove the corruption that causes external and internal harm to the Empire. Guide our lost citizens into hope and security. To usher in a new era of order and prosperity in which we can leave a legacy for the generations to come."

Valten smiled darkly as the energy in the room abruptly changed…and the other Inquisitors felt it as well. Reading the smallest changes in a subjects posture, the beads of sweat forming, a nervous tick that slowly made itself known, a slight twitch below the skin, the smell of apprehension, the barest of changes in the eyes. Ah…..the feeling was quite intoxicating on this scale.

Even still hanging off her every word in anticipation, all these politicians already knew the truth of what was to come. Realization of truth, Valten and the others could taste it. Too long had the Empire been drowning itself in self-deceit…too long had the Empire turned a blind eye to the plight around them and ignored the decay that only the Inquisitoriate relentlessly battled every hour of every day.

"And I will respectfully accept this great honor bestowed upon me before all of our people in one standard hours time."

And it had taken the Face of the Empire to force them all to see the truth…….and already there were those who would try and deny everything. All to satisfy their own selfish wants.

UNACCEPTABLE

For too long had the Inquisition fought on with patience and held vigil over the Empire while politicians grew fat and corrupt. And now here the herald in white stood before them all, determined to bring glory, order, strength, and stability back to the heart of the galaxy. And many still dared defy them?

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! YOU'VE DOOMED THE ENTIRE EMPIRE TARKIN!!!"

Anger draped across the Grand Inquisitors features like a swirling vortex. Valten focused his spite and rage on the loudest dissenter, one Moff Sekirol, even as Atrapes order two of the Inquisitors into position.

“Outrage?” Silence fell like a vengeful hammer amidst the congregation. Every eye focused on the Grand Inquisitor, towering over them in full ceremonial power-armor from the dias. Serikol shrunk under the gaze of such a harbinger of vengeance. “You DARE speak of outrage?”

Valten glare burned a path across those gathered. “It has been two years since Palpatine’s assassination at the hands of heretical scum. TWO YEARS and in that time this so-called governing body has done NOTHING to rebuild this once glorious Empire, has done NOTHING to honor the memory and vision of our great leader.” The Grand Inquisitor focused his wrath once more on Sekirol. “The Moffs have grown lax; you grow fat and pathetic as our society crumbles into dust around you. Politicians squabble like worthless rats over a scrap of meat, caring little as their prize rots before them.

Terrorist dogs run rampant raiding our ships and digging festering holes of plague on our core worlds, tempting even the most loyal citizen to spread this….contagion. IN UTTER NEGLECT, the blaspheming Jedi have regained a foothold amongst this scum…..and the Sith reappearing with them.”

The Grand Inquisitor’s snarl ripped apart the defiance of even the most stalwart of the Moffs.

“OUTRAGE?! Sekirol, it is fools like you who would have doomed the Empire. You sit here, shielding you own eyes to the pestilence you yourselves have nurtured. Because of people like you…..the Imperium has fallen into corruption and decay.

I am sickened such treason. The Emperor himself trusted you to safeguard his worlds, to keep this Empire a bastion of order and strength amongst a galaxy of chaos and destruction. Since its inception, the Inquisitors have fought and died to hold the darkness at bay. And we will no longer tolerate this rape of our Imperium.

Palpatine left no heir……you fight amongst yourselves for what you do not deserve……and the rightful successor, Imperator Khendon Sevon, has revealed him to be the greatest traitor in our midst. By the authority granted to me by Book of Indoctrinations, I have done what is necessary to pull the Empire out of the abyss.

The Inquisitoriate has pledges its service the Miranda Tarkin, she alone amongst you still possess the moral integrity, determination, and flawless will of Palpatine.”

In the midst of his impassioned speech, no one noticed as the thirteen Inquisitors slowly spread out amongst the rotunda. Malice formed in each of their eyes as the picked out individuals from the crowd.

“But heresy is like a cancer and in order for the Empire to truly be rebuilt the cancer must be removed. Those of you who have remained true to Palpatine have nothing to fear.” The wicked singing of steel being unsheathed and the crackling horror of igniting lightsabers shocked the gathered moffs. Even those present only in hologram that were guilty of treason turned in terror to something only they could see.

“But for the those of who are guilty….our judgment will be swift and just. The following people are under arrest on the charges of high treason…”

Valten motioned to the third Inquisitor standing on the dias. In turn he produced a roll of seemingly ancient parchment and began reading the list aloud. “Moff Lorbar of…”

[Miranda Tarkin]

The Inquisitor took no pleasure in outing the accused, reading the names one by one with dutiful stoicism. Inside, he was just as angered at these charges as Inquisitor Valten as were his brothers and sisters who swept through the crowd to arrest the guilty. For some of these Moffs, it was the most embarrassing moment of their lives, being dragged out of their seat by the collar. Some verbally contested it, others bowed their head in guilt and remained quiet, knowing that death could await them here if they struggled too much.

Tarkin scrutinized her Moffs and felt that Valten's words had struck a cord with everyone present. Many of the Governors were innocent of corruption, whether they were oblivious of Sevon's plans or tried to maintain order under the Indoctrinations of Palpatine's regime. The list off Moffs did not encompass all that were tainted by opportunity, but as time passed, they would be smoked out.

She knew enemies would be made this day, but a message needed to be sent that Miranda Tarkin was no push over - that she despised how their Empire had fallen into disorder. She would be their Shepard, guiding them back home in the safety of order and obedience that had made this Government the victor after the Clone Wars and the Purge. Only through a show of force by punishing the weak who had strayed, could some respect be beaten into the non-believers.

To earn the trust of the other innocents not on her side would just take time. Bigotry still veiled the eyes of some, and she would just have to prove to them, as she did with the title of Moff, that it was deserving. That she was a strong and capable leader that only held their interests, not her own, at heart.

And so, she extrapolated the accusations of the guilty further. "Executor Sevon was the man behind the assassination attempt on Chancellor Anar, the Grand Inquisitor and myself. These men," her hand swept across the podium as binders clasped around the wrists of the arrested. "Are implicated as accomplices. And there is proof."

Tarkin keyed in a sequence that would upload information to every Moff's computer so they could see the damning evidence themselves. It was the information that was stored in the black box that Sevon had given her himself. Assassination targets, weapons manifest, and key associates in the ruling Moffs were all there. It was only the tip of the iceberg of information that was stored on that device, but it would suffice for now.

"This information was verified by the Inquisitors themselves. Only they could analyzed the encryption code used and verified that it belong to Sevon himself. His wanted to destroy all those that were not in favor of him and forcefully take the throne. His reign would have begun in blood and those you see before you being escorted out, would have prospered by increased borders of rule and monetary gain."

Sad eyes fell upon them. "They would have had most of you killed or arrested for wealth and power stolen by treason. Ask yourself this, why would he take such extreme measures to ensure the throne is secured unless he had something to hide?"

The silence was deafening. Between the damning evidence and that remark, it was difficult to verbalize a rebuttal.

Her head then rose erect in appeal. "I realize that many of you had their suspicions of me when I was granted the title Moff. Very few of you trusted me, and over time, that trust continued to mature. But let's be candid, shall we?"

She found Sekirol's hoverdisc easily since they had been neighbors inside the dome and smirked. "Some of you still loathe me. It's no secret, obviously, by the reactions here today. But now listen, and listen well."

Tarkin leaned over the podium with fearless conviction. "I was strong enough to forsake Sevon's offer."

A few audible gasps were heard at her admission. "He approached me and promised me the power of my birthright, which I had been denied. So I, a mere female, was able to listen to my duty and turn in the evidence you see before you as a true patriot should have. Greed and insurrection has divided us for too long!

Now ...," her stance relaxed and the steely gaze softened. "With the great Rebel heroes killed two years ago on Endor, the Empire should have already found itself victorious by now ... We should all be ashamed by that fact! ... But let that be the past. I want to do away with our personal petty squabbles that stagnant us and leave us open to attack by our true enemy. Everything that we need to succeed in defeating the enemy, we have at our very fingertips. Our departed Palpatine made sure of it. Now it is up to us to pick up the pieces and ensure that his dream lives on. I stand before you as his once humbled servant, and even in his death, I will remain as such. Just like you ..."

Unlike her acceptance of throne, this time, the Moffs were in silent debate as their Empress turned around and left the dome with her entourage. She had a public appearance to make and soon all of the galaxy would share in the knowledge that the Empire was leaderless no longer ...

[Park Kraken]

Coruscant Orbit

The sun of the Coruscanti system cast shining rays across the gleaming durasteel armor of the spaceships and stations in orbit. The most impressive of the stations in orbit were the four Golan III battlestations, bristling with missile launchers and heavy turbolaser batteries, in addition to the wing of TIE fighters each of them hosted.

Compared to them, the civilian and economic stations, the power stations, the skyhooks, and the orbital mantinence and repair docks seemed miniscule, but each of these would be considered granduer in the highest on almost any of the worlds of the Outer-Rim.

The splendor of the battlestations would be match only by the ships in orbit. Six of them, all Imperial mark II class destroyers, would equal the battlestations in size and nearly in firepower. Cruising in column formation, the Imperator, Monarch, Triumph, Eviscerator, Implacable, and Agonizer would always be on hand to defend the capital of the Empire from enemy attack, with a dozen more star destroyers within one hours time of reaching the capital through lightspeed.

But by far dwarfing even these mighty vessels, and the battlestations themselves, were the two Executor class super star destroyers cruising side by side. The one on the left, the Iron Fist, was captained by Grand Admiral Zsinj, and although flag vessel of the Coruscant Sector Defense fleet, would normally be found paying diplomatic visits to worlds in the Inner and Mid-Rim whose loyalty to the Empire was thought to be wavering following the debacle of Endor.

The vessel on the right was of a newer and improved breed, the Dominion having been within the past two weeks comissioned from Kuat Drive Yards. The mark II super star destroyer, this vessel had improved firepower, three wings of fighters, and better shields and manuevering thrusters. Currently the two vessels were passing one of the Golan III defense platforms, the shadow from the great ships casting the station into darkness.

Standing on the bridge of the Dominion, Vice Admiral Park Kraken gazed out at the world where he had worked at for ages before transferring from the fleet headquarters into active ship duty.

Never in the service to the Empire had he seen so mighty a fleet assembled into one place. In addition to the above mentioned vessels, other star destroyers, the Moff's personnel flagships, their little escort fleets, and the remainder of the planetery defense fleet roamed about, in addition to thousands of TIE Fighters and Interceptors forming up for an impressive flyby of the palace.

History was in the making today, and he was determined not to be distracted from any of it.

Gloria Imperium in the highest.

[Yeart Quenn]

On board the newly rechristened Majestic, Moff Yeart Quenn of Kuat was having a very difficult time.

For one, he felt superbly enraged about the blow fate had dealt him. Not only was this wanton cireatch from Doldur now sitting on the throne he had envisioned for himself, but - what was possibly worse - through his own stupidity he now found himself in a position where he would have to bow to her like some worthless chattel.

He! Hadn't he wanted to share the glory with her? It had all been such a perfect plan; they would have got the throne of the Empire together, their two sectors combined a force of unstoppable power, a force no one could deny would have to be given the highest of all positions in the Empire!

How was he to know that that rabble of lunatics had made a deal with her to put her into that position all by herself? The woman was nothing if not a pawn put in place by the very man who had just pronounced impending doom to almost a third of the Empire's Moffs.

Had to hand it to them, they were nothing but efficient.

Quenn cast a quick look over his shoulder, just to make sure again that there wasn't one of those shadowy freaks behind him, vibroknife in hand, ready to carry out the order to kill him, too. There was no telling what that dirty cireatch had let out of the bag about his foolish offer to her; he imagined that she'd had many a good laugh at his expense over it, and if she'd shared it with any of those ghouls from the Inquisitoriate there might be a chance that his name was on some other list of names that that Valten guy hadn't read out aloud.

That none of them had appeared to dispense of him yet was increasing his fears, rather than allaying them.

He thumbed on his commlink to the captain of the ship, Kamvil Albrecht, a man of his own choosing: "No one challenged my orders yet?"

His orders had been to refuse access to the ship to anyone who tried to approach, and not let anyone near his own quarters. It paid to be on the safe side.

He received a curt "No, sir!" in reply, and cut the connection again. He supposed he could trust his most-to-be-trusted, handpicked-for-loyalty officer.

The Irresistible - drok that, the Majestic! - was moving inexorably closer to its goal. He really needed to prepare himself for what she had told him he should see as his greatest moment: to present the ship (and all of KDY) to her in a gesture of loyal service to her, the Empress.

He ground his teeth with a noise as sickeningly loud and ugly as he imagined it would sound if he could get his hands on that pristinely white neck of hers and snap it.

Maybe one day....

He hoped the day wasn't too far off.

[Travis North]

The lights dimmed and went out, while the holoprojector came to life casting pale blue luminescence into the room and onto those present. The hologram itself depicted the politicians in session within the Imperial Assembly Hall. It was a live feed.

All eyes were on Miranda Tarkin.

Everyone sat in silence as she spoke, listening to every word. Every cursed word.

By the end of it when the Inquisition had made their presence felt only a few good people within the Hall remained, and only because they hadn't been suspected as traitors to the Empire. The Inquisition had, in a matter of seconds, severely crippled a network established and maintained by a select few to preserve and facilitate peace within the Empire.

Silence. The projection ended and the light returned.

A man dressed in the white and gold uniform of the Grand Admirality stood, and addressed the men and women present around the conference table.

"This is our worst case ladies and gentlemen. We'll need to move quickly. We have a day or two at best to safeguard our sectors from breaking out into conflict amongst themselves once the news begins to spread out to the borders. Plus, the Alliance isn't going to pass up an opportunity like this to gain numbers. As of this moment additional resources are unavailable. However, as certain sectors are at higher risk from Rebel attack, elements from low risk sectors will be transferred to fleets that require a stronger presence. Line Captains Hokk and Boden from my fleet are being placed under the command of Commodore North. Line Captain Torjj will be transferred to Rear Admiral Ganz....

"Remember our duty is to protect the people."

----

The meeting was over. Travis had left as soon as the Grand Admiral had finished outlining the plan for the future. Like there was going to be one. He slipped out of the Naval Administration building and entered a small cafe just across the street. He took a seat, ordered his caf, and waited for the Public Address.